Emotions & Neck Pain

Emotional upset and stress are a common cause of neck and shoulder pain. This is because when we’re stressed we generate muscle tension in our face, neck and shoulders. You don’t typically smile when your stressed or frustrated about something, you frown, which is caused by muscle contraction. Muscle contraction also causes your neck to feel tight and elevates your shoulders. When this muscle contraction is prolonged, it gives rise to the build-up of chemicals that irritate nerve endings in muscle giving rise to pain and more spasm.

So, if you’re one of those people who runs around stressed and tense all the time, it might just be playing a role in your pain.

Spine Smart can help you manage your pain by deactivating muscle spasm with targeted treatments such as; hands-on manual therapy, acupuncture and dry needling. Because we have multiple treatment methods available, we can choose the ones best suited to your problem.

Tip

Mindfulness meditation is a very effective way to reduce the negative effects of prolonged stress. There is significant research to support its use and it costs nothing.